Tonight I had the privilege to work alongside these phenomenal nurses as they exemplified teamwork, compassion, and phenomenal care. They all deserve the acknowledgment because without them, and their teamwork, a mother and her premature infant may not have had the safe and happy outcome that they did. Tonight on an already very busy unit, these women pulled together to help guide and deliver exceptional care to a very scared pregnant patient as she faced an emergency cesarean section of a premature infant.

There was a 32 week patient on a busy Maternity unit for evaluation. During the evaluation, there was evidence that the baby was not in a healthy and safe state. Consultation with Albany Medical Center recommended an emergent primary C-section for fetal distress. A 32-week newborn presents with many challenges, however, a 32 week newborn in distress has even more potential challenges. Once the decision was made to proceed with the C-section it was all hands on deck! And that is exactly what happened!

Jennifer O’Donohoe-Brown not only prepared this patient physically for emergency surgery but while doing so, also helped provide compassionate, emotional support to this patient and her significant other who was blindsided at the thought of delivering their daughter prematurely. Jen’s calm and reassuring demeanor in the situation helped keep the patient, as well as the staff calm. Jen also went far above and beyond her role on the unit and acted as the circulating nurse and circulated the surgery since the main OR staff were already occupied in another surgery in the main OR and not able to respond to the emergency. Jen handled this emergency with confidence and skill and our patients are lucky to have her as their nurse. I am lucky to call her my coworker.

Jamie Tallon was also on the unit that night and helped this situation be a positive one. Jamie expertly handled the entire floor while the rest of the staff were occupied in the operating room with the premature delivery of this infant. Jamie not only helped take care of all of the other patients on the floor but also handled the management of the delivery of her own complicated patient. Jamie was so instrumental in coordinating with Albany Medical Center's Transport team arranging their arrival, helping, and every time we needed something in the emergency, it seems like Jaime would magically appear and say, “I’ve got it“. Jamie is an amazing skilled nurse and without her, this situation would not have gone so smoothly. St Mary’s is lucky to have Jamie as a staff nurse and I am lucky to have her as my coworker.

Lynn from the OR was nothing short of a miracle on this night. We called Lynn, looking desperately for OR staff when it was clear the on-call staff were occupied and unable to come, and she rushed in, on her day off to help. Not only was she willing to help, but she was willing to work as a surgical scrub assist, which is not her ordinary job! We could not have done it without her and her willingness to step outside of her comfort zone. Thank you, Lynn!

Macey Rorick also deserves recognition. She was willing to come in, hours before her scheduled night shift to help us manage the floor while we were preoccupied with stabilizing the premature infant. She came right in and jumped right into taking a patient assignment and making sure none of the patients on the floor felt neglected. She did this with a smile on her face and truly exemplified the spirit of a nurse willing to put the needs of the unit first. Not only did she take her own assignment, but frequently would ask “What else can I do to help you?” Macey is a phenomenal nurse and St. Mary’s is lucky to have her on staff!

Gabby Spencer from the Float Pool also played a key role in this delivery. She deserves recognition for her willingness to help in any way possible, stay late, and come onto our unit when she heard we needed help as we prepared for the immediate delivery of a high-risk newborn. Gabby immediately jumped in and helped on the unit in any capacity that we asked of her. Gabby was asked to come into the OR and help record during the resuscitation and stabilization of this newborn. This was invaluable to our team! She was a skilled set of extra hands with NICU and I am so thankful for her willingness to come onto our unit when she could have just as easily gone home after her own shift. Gabby was instrumental in helping the maternity team ensure safe delivery of mom and baby. Thank you, Gabby!

Christina Knaggs's role becomes a primary nurse for the newborn. Christina Knaggs is without a doubt one of the best, most compassionate, thoughtful, caring, and attentive nurses. She is beyond skillful and knowledgeable in her specialty. She took on this role without hesitation. She spoke with the family regarding what her role would be during the surgery and provided these very scared parents with a beacon of hope. The infant was stabilized by our pediatricians and Christina while waiting for the arrival of the Albany Medical Center NICU transport team. Without a doubt, this baby was in the best of the best hands. There are obviously other pieces to the puzzle as previously mentioned.

We also needed someone to provide anesthesia. Jacob Dutcher, CRNA came in as he was leaving for the day without hesitation. He knew we needed help and was here within minutes to help us. He provided the patient with her spinal for pain management quickly, efficiently, and calmly. Jacob has a way of letting the patients know he is there for them and that everything is going smoothly even if there are bumps in the road. He will talk the patient through the procedure and continue to provide compassion and reassurance. For these reasons and many more, I am thankful for our patients that Jacob calls St. Mary's home.

There was one more nurse involved in the delivery, Stacy Arminio-Swartz, CNM was on our unit and had just finished a complex delivery. She knew what events were transpiring on the floor and knew she could help. Again, without hesitation, Stacy stepped into her surgical boots and became the surgical assistant to Dr. Izzano as one was unavailable. As a previous labor and delivery nurse, Stacy knew everything the nurses were going through to prepare for a potentially unstable newborn. She remained a calm resource to them as well as prepared to assist. Stacy was a great labor and delivery nurse, but she has found her way to her calling as a Midwife and our patients are lucky to have her. Yes, the jobs and tasks that all of these people did are "their Jobs" or "within their scope of practice", but these Nurses performed these jobs and tasks during this delivery and did it with more humility, grace, compassion, and concern for our patient then I have ever seen. Jobs performed that are not in our typical job description, coming in on your day off as you head out to walk the dog, coming back as you were headed home for the day, and so much more. We have one goal on Maternity and it is "a healthy mom and a healthy baby" and because of all these nurses involved, that is exactly what we got because of this team of nurses.